the consensus is there is no 'best' way. Some use a reverse angle, some use a forward angle, some do it like George Benson, some use a thumbpick, and some use no pick at all. And others, I'm sure, do different stuff I've never even considered.
It's something best sorted out on your own.
A message forum probably doesn't hold the answer as much as a mirror, a pick, a guitar, and your hands.
Focus on the right hand. Observe. Pay particular attention to what makes you feel tense and what makes you feel relaxed. Shoot for effortlessness, but not lackadaisicalness. Find that focused, pointed technique-- the one that fits your body and allows you to focus ALL energy in your arm to the tip of the pick, effortlessly, wasting nothing in tightness, tension, or misdirected energy.
Good luck.
I think a lot of people do, even some great players.I didn't think much about it until I watched a video posted by a forum member, but I hold or grip the pick differently.
The most common way to hold the pick is between the pad of the thumb and the side of the last joint of the index finger (so Bill LaFleur, Ultimate Guitar Technique: The Complete Guide [Musicians Institute], 111).
I didn't know any better,but I grip my pick between the pad of the thumb and the pad of my index finger. Thus my index finger is pointing toward the tip of the pick. I pinch the pick between the thumb pad and finger pad, in the same way I would hold a coin after picking it up off the ground. The index finger traditionally functions in pointing, so gripping the pick in this manner feels natural, at least to me. Doesn't anybody else do this?